The Doctor's Daughter- The Years of the Angels
by StarkyGirl
Summary: The Doctor has lost his Ponds and all he has left is his daughter but there is one slight issue, he is grieving. Will Ella fight to get him smiling or will an known enemy come back to break the Doctor's hearts even more. Time is running out, Earth is going to lose it's protector unless Ella can prevent that. (I do not own Doctor Who Characters used, just Ella-Marie Stark)
1. Chapter 1

The console room was eerily quiet, if anything it put Ella on edge as she came to the top of the steps, her black dress sweeping at her ankles, her red heels clicking against the glassed flooring. "Dad?" She called out, noting there was no sign of him as she made her way down the steps. It was two days before Christmas and her father had been unusually quiet these past few days that she had been around him. Ella had always put her father down to be the one who enjoyed the holidays, he was a big kid when it came to such but today, well it was a living hell with him being so… down.

The console gave out a low hum as Ella brushed her fingers against it before noting her father standing in the door way, his purple frock billowing lightly in the wind from outside. The new outfit was nice, Ella couldn't really complain but it just wasn't… well it just wasn't her father any more. She paced over to him, finding him now slumped on the floor and resting against the blue box. The Doctor had heard his daughter coming to the door but not once had he looked up or spoke. He simply sat there, deep in his own self pity. He'd stopped caring for the world around him, stopped caring for the TARDIS as well and he knew there was simply no point in doing so because the blue box had giving up on him.

Ella peered out of the box and glanced down, finding her father. She slumped to the floor as well and sat beside him, legs out stretched as she had found she couldn't cross them in this dress. "Dad are you ok?" Her sea blue eyes gazed over to him, seeing him staring at the ground beneath him, as if he was waiting for it to swallow him whole. "Just leave me alone, everyone else does." He dare not make eye contact with his daughter in fear she'd see the pain he was suffering from. Ella sighed softly, it was hard to see him like this and not understand why. Ella, being taken back by his words, gave a light chuckle and replied, "Leave? Not a chance."

Ella assumed that he was in one of those moods; the grumpy ones were it'll last a few days then return to normal. The Doctor's gaze snapped onto Ella in an instant, why did she find this amusing? "I said go!" He'd decided a long time ago that by caring it meant people got hurt. Ella furrowed her brow, meeting her father's gaze. The way he spoke to her was stern, angered but she had told him she was never leaving so that was what she had intended to do… never leave. "You can't send me away dad!" There was an argument brewing and Ella could sense it, what was even harder was the simple fact that she was alone in this because River was god knows where.

The Doctor jumped to his feet, his voice now cold as he turned to her, "I can and I will now go!" Ella scrambled to her feet, her hemming of her dress catching in her heel in which she unhooked and hitched up a little. "Give me a reason why?!" They were now face to face, both burning on different emotions. The Doctor snarled at her, "Because I am your father now do it before I say something I'll regret!" Not that he really could do much more damage than he already had. He shoved past his daughter to get into the TARDIS, kicking it open before storming to the console, growling under his breath.

Ella was taken back by her father's actions. Tears stung her eyes as they fought to fall but she wasn't going to let it get to her. "Ah excuse me!" She went on after him, the door nearly hitting her in the face as she took a step into the TARDIS. "How dare you take this out on me?!" The Doctor couldn't help but scoff, turning to face his daughter. "I am not taking it out on you. Now shut up and go away!" He gritted his teeth before tugging his hat a little lower over his face, "Mind you, maybe I should change my mind? Send you to stay with you mother at the university and be bored to death with archaeology." He huffed before disappearing down the hallway. Ella shook her head, an empty threat no doubt but it didn't stop her from arguing back. "Well it'll be more entertaining that my father being a grumpy git!" She shouted after him, her fingers curling into fists, knuckles glowing white.

Right now it'd be nice to slap some sense into him, make him realise how stupid he was being. Her eyes drifted to the console, an idea that she should never carry out. Ella flew over to the console, smirking like a crazed psych patient as she began to pull levers and hit buttons. The TARDIS shook violently, if anything it would have caused it to crash if they were in flight. It seemed though that the Doctor didn't give the slightest bit of care to what she was doing as he felt the box quake. If it crashed or blew up then it meant one less problem in his life to deal with, heck the damn box packed in the heating earlier, giving him the cold shoulder in a most literal way. He stepped into the door way, "What are you doing, trying to kill yourself?" He leaned against the door frame, staring at his daughter as she peered at him from behind the console. "Blimey the lengths people go to in order to make me even more alone." He added with a mumble.

Ella furrowed her brow and crossed her arms against her chest, "If I were to kill myself, I'd have done it a long time ago. Plus I wasn't trying to leave; I was simply getting you attention." She huffed, noting a tear in her dress. "Normally I'd get a good telling off for harming the TARDIS…" She glanced at the centre console and murmured an apology to her, she didn't like to harm it, "Now tell me what the hell is wrong!" The Doctor scowled at her, why was it that when he tried so hard to get rid of people, it was a chore. "Why should you even care? No one else does. Just face it; I am done with this, done with everything." He turned strolled into the room, coming round to where his daughter was and tried to be intimidating. Ella smirked at him, "Oh really? Then why am I still here because if I didn't care then I would have gone by now." She kicked her heels off, reducing her height so she was a little shorter than her father.

"Dad I'm not going to lie to you, you're a pain in my rear but I am worried. I'm worried I'll wake up and find you gone." God his words had cut her deeply, torn at her very hearts and dared to break them, if River was here then she'd know what to do, know how to calm her father. The Doctor turned away from Ella, never looking at her as he did. "I'm not leaving you but I'm not going to start caring because I am done with it. Done travelling and done saving worlds because all it does is brings pain and death. The last trip I am making is the one where I leave you at the university with your mother and that's it." Ella could barely believe what she was hearing; it was as if someone had dropped her in an alternate dimension where everything was not what she knew. "So you are leaving?!" Ella circled round to his front, standing before him so he was forced to see her. "No, I am not going! You'd have to take me there while I am kicking and screaming. I don't care if you don't want to keep saving people, I'm not even asking you to tear apart time all I want is you to be happy for once!" She was swallowing tears every second as she watched her father fall into an ever more dangerous sea of guilt ridden and angry emotions.

The Doctor leaned close to his daughter, glaring. "It's too late for that. What I want is never available to me nor will it ever be. Being happy brings pain so just for once do me a favour and listen to me! When I say you're going to your mother's then you. Will. Go!" He didn't raise his voice but it was filled with so much anger, so much rage and loss. "And there is nothing you can do about it." Ella returned the lean, now toe to toe with her father, brow furrowed and eyes staring directly into his. "Do you know how stupid you are sounding? You sound like me after I lost Spencer and trust me that won't get you anywhere." A flush of hot air was breathed out in anger at her father; her nostril's flared a little. "So don't you dare stand there and tell me that happiness only brings pain because I know!" Her voice began to tremble as she tried to contain herself, lashing out wasn't going to help in the slightest because god knows what he could do to her. "So no, I am not leaving!"

There was no response him except for the barging past her to the console, slamming his hand against the damn thing before scrunching his face up in bitter anger because arguing like this reminded him of Amy. There was no helping him now, not even his own daughter could help because he was too far gone. Ella swayed a little as he barged past her. She couldn't understand why he was turning on her, they'd only just been reunited and now he was pushing her away?

"You know, right now in this situation I would have left just because I knew all too well it would hurt you..." Ella paused as she watched him at the console. "But I'm not going to. Instead I'll stay in order to stop you from pushing me away as well as everyone else who cares about you." Her voice wavered a little; the dam holding back the tears was ready to break and when he looked at her with that blank expression and shrugged, it tore her even more and pulled an upset sigh from her. The Doctor knew that he had nothing else to care about though; it only caused pain and hate after all, look at what happened to the Ponds. He wanted to be alone now and no lose anything else.

Ella placed a hand on his shoulder, "Dad, why won't you tell me what is wrong? I can't stand seeing you like this." When the Doctor shrugged her hand from him and walked away, trudging up the stairs from her, Ella couldn't help but get angry. Her fist slammed into the console as she let out a gasp of hurt. Her curled locks fell in her eyes, her dress wrapped around one of her heels of her foot, she tugged her glasses of and threw them across the room in a fit of spite. The TARDIS gave out a low hum of possible sympathy as Ella rubbed her eyes free of tears, feeling the running mascara dry on her soft cheeks, a contrast between her pale skin and the dark makeup. "You really know how to break me hearts." She murmured as her hand gripped the edge of the console unit.

What the young girl didn't know was that her father had watched her, even if he had little care for the world around him; he still had to watch her, make sure she was ok. It didn't help though, when all those losses he had suffered, all that guilt came crashing down on him and crushing him, rage-filled eyes wet with tears and he couldn't hold them off any longer.

Ella noticed that the strong sense of anger and hate had been lost during her regeneration. It was hard to get angry like she had, all she wanted to do now was run around and fulfil her sworn oath to help others but her father was pushing her away every time she tried. Ella glanced down at her bare feet; the now torn dress was useless to her, so she ripped the hem off leaving it to hang at her knees. The next thing she did was simply stand there and stare up at the stairs, she frowned a little. Was he still there? Still watching her even though she couldn't see him. She decided to shout up, "Fine! I'll leave! If that's what you want. If it is, then just keep in mind that it was your choice, your choice to send away the last person who really cared, not mine, not the others in the galaxy... yours!" She bit her lip, would that work? Would that tell her what was going on in that head of his?

At these words, the Doctor couldn't help but laugh, ramming his hand down on his head and walked out to the stairs. "Yes I know. It's usually my choices that cause problems but there's the door." He turned away, if it had been a long time ago then he would have fought to keep her but he had changed. "Goodbye and Merry Christmas." Not that it was merry for him, losing the Ponds so close to this time of year.  
Ella let out a soft snort, a mixture of amusement and sadness all in one. "Just know this, if I leave then you and I both know that we'll never see each other again. You'll only replace me, no doubt with a new wife and kids… maybe a son this time?" She gritted her teeth, "Let's hope they have a better life." Ella's hand reached for the door handle, turning her back on her father.

Yet again the fear of abandonment crippling her once more as she went to walk, after all it was the Doctor that had taught her to fear it. Her bare feet padded a little closer to the door, her hand now round the door handle before she glanced over her shoulder. "I guess this is goodbye…" A tear fell down her cheek as she spoke her last words loud enough for him to hear. "I love you father." Deep down the Doctor didn't want her to go, he felt so awful but he couldn't let her get hurt because of him. As his daughter stepped out into the snow outside, he wanted to say something to her, to stop her. "I'm sorry."

Ella had not heard his apology as she stepped out into the cold weather; her bare feet began to freeze in an instant as her toes nested in the layer of snow beneath her. Her hands pressed against her cheeks, the flow of tears now more apparent as she stood there and wept silently to herself. If she had stood there long enough, maybe he'd come out and say sorry, come out and hug her and tell her he loved her. Nothing. The fear was starting to set in, not even able to glance over her shoulder to see if her home was gone.

A man passed by the young girl, noting her tears and the tattered clothes that hung off her slender body. "Ma'am, is everything ok?" He placed a hand on Ella's shoulder, kind green eyes staring down into her now teary blue ones. She glanced up at him, shaking her head and slipping from his grip where she disappeared down a side alley. If only she had looked closely to who he was, if her mind was clear and she had really taken in her surroundings because Spencer had really stared her in the face with pure worry. Spencer knew that she was not of this time so he never went after her.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor stared at the blank screen where his mind was breaking between going after Ella or not going after her. Finally he moved from the console to the door and peered out finding that she was gone. Ella was really gone. A hurt filled sigh escaped him, shaking the snow from his hat as he came back in and sat down on the stairs. There was a tear in his eye, a tear not for the Ponds but for his daughter, the last person that believed in him. He decided that it would be best to move the box in case Ella went to hunt down River, not that she could. The Doctor couldn't face his wife right now.

Ella on the other hand ran along the hard and worn pavement, tearing at her bare feet. Fear had engulfed her, forcing her to take flight from what ever it was that was following her. It wasn't helping that her vision was blurred as tears fell, no clue to where she was going or even what era she was in. All she could do was run and run until she just couldn't do so any more or if someone stopped her. The latter was now more apparent as she tried to make a path back to her father. It seemed though that her path of destiny was doing all it could to stop the girl and face up to the monster behind her. A dip in the pavement forced Ella to twist her ankle and stumble straight into the arms of something icy and solid. As her hand pressed against the mass, eyes trailing up, her heart nearly gave out as she came face to face with, "Angels."

The Doctor, being unaware of his daughter's slight predicament, a long lost instinct had kept him from sending the box away. The TARDIS made sure he wouldn't leave though, giving out a low hum as he flicked buttons and realised that it wasn't going to give any time soon. The Doctor gave low growl in return before kicking the console and storming off outside, maybe a cup of tea would help.

Their paths were to cross once more, the Doctor and his daughter. The girl backed up slowly, eyes watering even more as she knew the fate at hand. If she blinked then it was all over, if she looked away or even let her world going dark then it would be over in a heartbeat. "Please don't do this." An eye closed something she had allowed that was in fact rather painful to some degree. Her foot stepped back, searching for even ground. If she could put space between them then she may have had a fighting chance. A sudden thought crossed her mind though, she shouldn't be afraid because it didn't matter any more. "Wait, you can send me back right to where no one could find me?" Another step back. "Send me away from all of this?" Of course, no response. "Do it." She whispered, after all, she only had to close her eyes.

The Doctor paced along the snow laden street, mumbling and cursing under his breath. He pressed his hand against the frosty door, melting the frost into droplets under his warmth. He slipped in, scanning the tables before heading over to the corner table and hiding away from everyone. He instantly ordered a cup of tea, finding that it cleared his mind even in the worst of times.

Back outside Ella was still taking steps back from the angel in front of her. She didn't want to go, didn't want to run from the life she was giving and oddly enough it gave her the incentive to run. Once she was at a decent distance, Ella turned and ran while glancing back every now and then to make sure they wouldn't gain on her too quickly. A corner was now becoming quite the friend, giving her a chance to skid around it and press herself against the crumbling brick that formed it. All she could d now was breathe, calm down and start moving once more. Once stable, Ella made her way back out onto the main street.

"Safe, nice one Ella," A smug grin spread across her lips but it was stolen from her in a flash as two stone angels stood to her side. Her hearts dropped, her body froze like ice. "No… no this isn't fair!" She pressed against a window, the same shop window as the one the Doctor had his back to, sipping his tea and clueless to the world outside. Ella pressed against the window, hearts racing like thunder as she fought to keep her eyes open. There was now way out, she was pinned. "Dad!" She screamed out, he'd promised he'd be there not matter what, no matter the wish or cry of help. The girl pleaded but nothing came from it.

This was it, Ella was stuck and she was going to die alone. God how she wished she'd just gone back to Stark mansion, even regretting ever meeting her father. Maybe she was better off without him. "Fine…" Ella growled, "Do it." Her arms spread out, the consequences waiting on the sidelines for her to commit the planned action. Her voice trailed off as it was replaced by small sobs. If she could return to this point in time then Ella could prevent all of this surely? For a moment her eyes trailed to her left, seeing the one person she needed right now in the café behind her. "Dad…" It was too late and the light prod in her chest told her so. Feeling the stony, slender finger press against her, Ella instantly turned her head to see what it was that had grasped her. "No, wait please!?"

The Doctor never turned around once, even when customers were glancing out the window, murmuring in shock and surprised at the disappearance of the girl and three angels. The tea cup pressed to his lips in dead silence, the ever reeling pain encasing him.

_50 Years before hand  
_Ella awoke, head spinning as she found herself lying on the ground. It seemed the travel within time had affected her. When her hand brushed against the grassy ground, she shot up. "No…" Her eyes trailed across the area, she was stuck and now lost to her father.


	2. Chapter 2

_Present time_

A smirk spread across red lips, a hood hiding a face from the other side of the room as her beady eyes spotted the Doctor. It was time. In one giant leap, she cleared the table, hand grasping the Doctor's hat and head towards the door. She'd planned for far too long for anything to go wrong. The Doctor glanced up as his hat was taken from his head. It wasn't the first time but he wasn't bothered, he just gave a simple shrug, before finishing off his tea. As she flew across the room, her hand dug into her pocket for her handmade Sonic Screwdriver and aimed at the remaining angels outside. "Thought you got rid of me did you?!" The girl's Irish accent rang out in the snow muffled street, a laugh that would have been classed as manic pierced the silence as the stone Angels crumpled.

The Doctor paused at the door; a poster had caught his attention.  
_'Don't Blink. Blink and you're dead!'_  
The words imprinted under a familiar quote and face. His face. The Doctor shook his head and walked out of the café and unaware of what was unfolding before him.

Another angel went in to attack only to fall to worthless dust. The sonic was raised in the air, the girl smirked. "Do you never give up?" The Angels were stone for the time being, their fanged teeth bared, their horrific features visible. "No? Well don't complain when you're dust… you gave me fifty years and fifty years I had! GERONIMO!" The blue tip became bright, the high sound whirr echoing out across the street. Finally it fell silent, ash piles here and there now drifting off into the wind.

The sonic danced between the girl's slender fingers a she strolled over to the Doctor's side, her Irish accent pulling him from thought. "That poster holds an awful picture right? Mind you I had to get the message across somehow but that still a fail." Her eyes peered out from under the hood at the man. "That man was brilliant though, absolutely fantastic to figure out that the angels only responded to sight." The Doctor paused and glanced down at the girl, "You made them?" His eyes narrowed at her, how would she know of him? However the girl nodded, almost grinning. "Ha, lousy!" The Doctor shoved past her, the girl huffing at this as she followed him to the box. "Doctor, still a grumpy madman then?" Her bare feet lightly and nimble padded along, her hands hidden behind her back. "Mind you the posters weren't for you, they were for me and yet again I don't ever pay attention."

The sonic was still stuck in her hand, scanning the area. The Doctor swung round and grabbed her by the collar of her cloak before ramming the stranger against the TARDIS. "I don't know who you are and I really do not care, I also don't know how you know me but who I was and who I am now are two very different things. I've changed! Now leave!" The girl gasped at the reaction from the Doctor. It was something of violence but of desperation in a way. As the man slipped into his blue box, she straightened out her cloak, picking up the sonic that fell from her hand when the Doctor rammed her against the TARDIS.

The lock clicked behind the man as he disappeared into his home. Her hand pressed against the door, "Are you not even a little curious? Not even wondering?" She called out to him as she stood outside. "Mind you, it's funny how emotions rule your hearts to the point that it makes you so blind that you barely recognise your own daughter." A soft chuckle escaped her as she leaned against the door. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor had found himself scoffing at the comment. For one, his daughter was English and he was damn sure that was an Irish accent, secondly she was long gone so no, he was refusing to believe it was her. "I might have asked a while ago but I told you… I've changed." It was as if he was trying to lie to himself, to brainwash himself and replace his own mind with that of an old, bitter man's. He rested his head against the door, his hand pressed to it also.

Ella pulled back her hood and sighed softly, the tears had dried up so right now all she was feeling a little down. "It's a shame because…" She paused mid sentence, even after fifty years alone, fifty years to learn so much and here she was, still not a clue to her own father. "Amy would be disappointed that you threw away the last person who was willing to stand by your side." She pulled her hand from the outside of the door and turned away, unaware that her father had perked up, wondering if she should just get back to her own time stream and never find him again. The Doctor had other ideas though. Suddenly he realised something, It'd hurt to think about it, but looking back on it he'd hurt someone he'd loved. He was lost, so lost. Now the pain and the anger toward the universe were gone. It was now directed toward himself, just like it was in Manhattan. He got too emotional, made too many mistakes. He threw the door open, partially hanging out. "Don't go…"

Have you ever stood there, when someone told you to not go and wondered what you should do now because you never planned that far ahead. Well Ella felt like that right now. Her bare feet was barely acknowledging the snow beneath them as she stood there in dead silence. For a moment the wind breezed through her ever long locks, the wavy curls flicking as they did while she closed her eyes and smiled, a tear on her cheek. To whatever god was listening, to whatever star stole her wish, Ella thanked them silently. "I didn't want to Doctor but you forced me to leave… you broke my hearts." Her Irish accent slipped away and left nothing more than her raw and original voice being spoken. The Doctor shuffled out of the box to be near her, "And mine have been broken countless times. I'm still hurting and I'll never be the same but… you don't deserve me pushing you away." Oh god he wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and love her. "I'll try to… move on because she'd have wanted that but it's just so hard." His voice wavered as he spoke, silent tears slipping down his cheeks.

The sonic danced between her fingers; the blue light that emitted from the end was now out. "I know it's hard, a feeling you can't bypass but wish everyday that you could but as you said… I guess they kind of break my heart." Ella reached up and brushed away her tears with her fingertips. Her father watched her with sad eyes, not knowing what to say to fix her broken hearts. The Doctor still thought the universe was better off without him, to keep the pain at bay, but he couldn't stand to see her like that. Despite the horrors and the wonders that he had seen, nothing was as horrible as realising that he had practically cast out the only family he had. He swore that he'd never let her turn out like him no matter how much her mannerisms were similar to his own, so breaking her hearts like he had was the first strike against his own promise.

Ella felt the rush of air pass by again, her head raised to see the stars twinkle above and seeing the dark shroud the blue that there was before. "It's ok and I understand. Amy was a brilliant woman, the girl seared onto you hearts because she was the first face you saw with this face." Her fingers reached up and pulled her hood up once more to hide herself from the world and her father. Ella was glad that he was finally hearing her out. "She had a good life Doctor, because of you. Set your mind on that, the fact you gave her something rather than what you couldn't do to save her." Her sonic lit up in her hand, the final scan complete and safe.

Ella tucked it away in her cloak and took a deep breath in order to prepare herself for what was next. The Doctor grimaced out of pain every time with the guilt he felt but with every word his daughter spoke, his expression softened. Ella was right, understanding the sense behind his daughter's words but saving Amy and Rory was what got him here but seeing her preparing to leave made him ask something he may not have done before hand, "I know Ella but there is something I want to ask… where are you going?" Ella turned to him, her bare feet turning in the snow to face her father, her hood covering her face. "Leaving Doctor because last I checked you had told me to." Incredible, after everything and she could have saved herself fifty years in hell if she had mentioned the Ponds sooner. "Goodnight Doctor, I wish you the best." With a kind smile passed his way followed by a nod, Ella turned away.

This was a shock to the Doctor's system because it seemed no one listened to him and of all the people, his daughter was listening and he found this amusing to the point that he chuckled. "You really think I'd leave my daughter alone on…" he pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch. "… Christmas, well Christmas Eve but you know who cares, so if you take one more ruddy step then I'll drag you home myself." And then something happened for the first time in months. He smiled that ancient madman smile. Ella though, she had felt her hearts stop and her mind raced like a rollercoaster as he lungs filled up with air that she struggled to breathe out again.

"Drag me?" Ella murmured now finding that she wanted to look at her father, to see if he really meant it but before she did she added, "Doctor… now that would be something to see." Her lips curled up into a smile but it was not like her father's mad one or like her mother's flirty one, it was just an original Starky girl, soft grin. The Doctor could really see now that his daughter was his and no one could change that. His eyebrows raised, his head tipped forward a little as he chuckled again. "What, you don't think I could?" It was as if she healed that broken rift in his heart, taking his pain and locking it away and for once he was happy. Ella scrunched up her nose in thought as she laughed a little, the offer seemed tempting to witness. "I don't think you could unless of course, you take earlier into account.

The Doctor stepped close behind her, placing his hands upon Ella's shoulders and turned her too him. It was so good to see those kind eyes of hers staring up at him. His fingers reached up and pulled back her hood, her brown locks falling out from underneath. "Come on you, get inside, even for me it's freezing out here and you have no shoes." The girl wiggled her toes in the snow and laughed, "I didn't even notice the cold."  
The Doctor laughed at her comment, yup she was mad. He kissed her forehead, like he used to and smiled. "My mad little Pond," He pulled her into a tight hug before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the TARDIS.

The TARDIS was warm and quite frankly Ella secretly was glad to be inside now. The cloak came off at the same time as her father pulled off his purple coat. A wash of green flew through the air to the railing nearby, the cloak falling upon it neatly as Ella glanced down at her red dress. It was now more torn than it had been and was still short from where she last tore it. Her toes wiggled again; almost blue from the cold they had suffered. The Doctor made his way to the console, catching sight of his daughter's attire and frowned. "Get changed, wardrobe is around somewhere. I got rid of a few things but it's still about." Ella furrowed her brow as she fiddled with the ripped hem of her dress before strolling up the ramp to the console.

"Change? If I was to change then I'd done so ages ago plus I've grown attached to it." She stopped short of the console and blinked. "It took you a few hours to change everything?" She tilted her head a little, squinting at the circular design that swirled above them. The Doctor was still angry though even if it was a little angry. The colours were gone; the darkness was now his friend rather than his enemy. "Y-yea, sure."

Ella's gaze snapped to her father in shock before pacing round the console, fingertips brushing against the edge and mumbled to herself. "It's ok, I'll figure something out." The girl cooed over it as if it were a person. She reached the bottom of the stairs and leaned against the wall to look at her father. "Doctor, please don't tear yourself up over it. I should know, I've been there," Maybe not the right thing to say right now but Ella could see he was doing just that.

Typical Doctor though, he bit back in an instant, he should have just listened but he couldn't help himself. "I can do whatever I like, thanks. I've had my hearts ripped apart enough thanks. And I even swore that nothing would happen. And I broke that promise. No. I will not simply get over it. I broke a promise to a good friend promising to protect them. So, no, do not tell me you know how it feels. You might have lost someone, but that's nothing compared to knowing it was my fault," His fist slammed into the console before he swung round to face her and bared his teeth a little.

The girl narrowed her eyes at her father, arms folded across her chest, "I never told you to get over it, I never said you broke a promise because I know you did. All you ever do is promise the impossible Doctor…" Her voice never wavered once, never broke or clogged with tears, it stayed soft. "…But do not assume that I've never been crippled by my own guilt like you have!"  
Her father did not like her back chatting, so he snarled, "I have learned. I learned the universe is better off without me. People don't get hurt that way. It's better like this. I've had enough."

The silence between them was a tense one, staring each other down like cats in a fight. "Fine let the universe suffer and burn up, there are other's willing to save it, well most of them." Ella went to carry on but her pocket of her dress began to burn, spreading like wildfire before she realised that it was her sonic. Tugging it out and fiddling with it to get the right readings, her father had turned away to mutter curses at the console.

Finally the sonic settled in her hands, "…But Doctor I am not asking you to do anything, some people have to give up eventually right?" The TARDIS groaned in response to the Doctor foul mutterings towards it. This groan typically made Ella feel sick to hear so she waltzed over to her father's side and began to tap away furiously at the scanner. "No, there's something else!" Again the box moaned a low moan, "Oi! If you're going to be like that!" Ella hit a button and then glanced back up at the screen. "I know he's being a grumpy man and no, he doesn't mean it, he won't get rid of you." Ella's gaze fell on her father for a moment while he raised a brow at her. "I never said I was getting rid of it! I still need a place to live, just no more travelling. Ever." The Doctor could tell himself that all day everyday if he wanted but it wasn't true and even Ella knew that by the way she scoffed. "Other words, you'll stand here for an eternity and waste away. Shame maybe the Doctor might let me have you instead?" The girl smirked before rushing round the console, the scanner in tow as she tried to figure out the problem with the box.

The Doctor decided to let her get on with and disappeared back down the hall, "Don't bother with her, she's just angry. Like me, what a surprise!" The sarcasm in his voice made Ella smirk even more so now, "Talk about change of hearts." Ella fiddled with some buttons here and there, pulled a lever or two until the box moaned once more. "Look T, if I could cheer him up I would…" She paused, a very smart thought exploding in her brain. "I think I might be able to get Amy to give the Doctor a good kicking," She whirled on the spot only to be snarled at by her father.

"Ha! You think that'll work do you? Try sending the TARDIS somewhere in her time stream. She doesn't cooperate. If you want to burn New York and deal with the guilt, go right ahead. Then you might understand." He stood in the doorway, like de ja vu all over again and honestly the girl didn't care. "Thought you left the room?" Ella turned back to her work, studying the symbols on the scanner. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, it was clear Ella was up to something. "Mind you when do you ever not eaves drop? But hey, like I said to you all those years ago, I'd do just about anything to see you smile again, and burning New York to crisp won't bother me in the slightest. I had fifty years of dealing with despair you left me with; one more thing cannot hurt me." Ella didn't even look at him once as she spoke, just took mental notes from the screen.

That one cut deep, if it were really a knife to his chest then it'd have sliced through bone and flesh before its tip finally pierced one of the Doctor hearts. He didn't show it though. "Why do you keep saying years later, years ago?!" He came so close to her as Ella turned to face him, clearly unimpressed. "Why? So you finally got the hint then?!" Ella hissed back at him, two could play at this game. "While you went on a mope trip to the café after kicking me out I was stolen from this era! Thrown back with nothing more than my freaking dress! Fifty years to learn everything and HERE I AM!" Her voice was loud, trembling a little.

The message should be clear now that she wasn't giving up. "Now if you do not mind, make yourself useful and find my glasses for me. Might be a bit cracked but they're the only pair I had and my eyesight is terrible as of now." The scanner bleeped, Ella reached up and gave it a whack. "Don't think about it TARDIS, I know how you work now." Her father stared at her once more, "Find them yourself." He mumbled, stalking off again and away from the mad chaos his daughter was creating.

Now Ella found that rather rude but she couldn't say much as her sonic whirred in her pocket once more. She pulled it out, eyes narrowed at it before they widened in unpleasant shock. This was not good. In seconds Ella was tugging three levers down at the same time which gave the box a violent shake. "Nothing like a bit of town tearing." Ella mumbled as it lurched once more and nearly forcing the poor girl off her feet. Ore buttons were being pushed and pulled, the box quaking even more in a fight against Ella herself. "Please! You have to do this because I've been called there!"

The Doctor was flung into a wall, his head nearly taking a bashing as he felt the cold of the wall against his skin. "What the hell is that kid doing now?!" Just couldn't leave her alone for a second without her trying to destroy something or someone. He gave out a low growl, making his way back to the main room on unsteady legs. "What are you doing?! Turn it off!" He walked in to find Ella prancing around the console, squinting at the controls then at the scanner screen.

"Ah-ha!" The girl exclaimed, quite clearly not listening to her father once more. Another violent shake rattled the pair's bones as a vortex wrapped itself around the blue box. "Love a loophole!" Ella screamed with a laugh and hitting the console abruptly. Her father was also slammed against the main console, trying to get round to the scanner and when he did he grasped it before giving it a few bashes to see what was going on. "What have you done?!" Ella tutted at her father as she slapped his hand away in order to do her work, "No peeking! Leave me to work Doctor." Her hands instantly grabbed the console for support as the TARDIS hit turbulence. Her free hand reached for more levers, a smirk growing on her lips. "Just what I thought!" Ella glanced up at the scanner screen, the TARDIS in a small circling vortex. "My boys are so smart!"

The Doctor fell back against the outer panelling, frowning as usual as he watched his daughter cling onto the main console while they were flung through quite the vicious vortex. "What did you do? Just tell me!" He flailed a hand at her, Ella shaking her head and huffing. "Like I said if you can't wait five freaking minutes..." Being slammed into a railing silenced her, her head smashing into a railing and cutting her forehead open. "Damn it!" Ella began to crawl over to the scanner, pulling out her sonic. "Boy's you better be telling me what the hell is going on down there!" Her father came up behind her, tapping at buttons to get a better look, "Boys?! What are doing?!" Ella grabbed her sonic and tucked it behind her ear, like you would a pencil in some aspects. "Don't touch!" Ella bumped her father out of the way with her hip. "Boys what the hells are you playing at? I thought it was all sorted?!" Ella was now furious to why this wasn't going to plan, she honestly thought she'd timed it right.

"Ma'am there is a ginger haired girl who has found us and is now trying to reverse the time rift." It was a female voice, Ella was a little surprised her father hadn't recognised it in an instant. "Amy! Damn it, leave the thing alone. You break it then we can't land and we'll rip apart time!" For a split second the Doctor stood there in complete awe of what his daughter was doing until he finally caught on and began to flip out at her, "No. NO! You are going to destroy reality! If you keep this up the engines will phase, the planet will shatter. And I'm not going to save them. You can live with the guilt of destroying an entire planet. Have that weight on your shoulders. Trust me, it's not a life you want to live. You will burn more than New York!" Again he was trying to guilt trip her, make her realise what could happen but of course Ella had had enough of this.

Her hand swung around and grabbed her father before pinning him to the console. "Listen here you outrageously grumpy git! I didn't waste fifty freaking years in this hideous dress and bare feet only to screw everything up so I suggest you shut up and hold on tight... this is going to get bumpy." Her fingers unclamped from the Doctor's collar before storming around the console to keep the engines from phasing out on her. Just like her father she was hissing and seething, abundance of curses leaving her lips as the TARDIS fought so hard against Ella's actions. "Boys, Fire up the back up engines! I need them running in case the first set blow. That small square of land is the only spot we can land and if we fail on this... then it's going to be my fault." And it would be her fault entirely if it failed.

The crackly voice responded in a flash. "Ma'am, we can do that for you, just keep her steady" Ella smirked, yanking a lever down. "Just you watch me boys. Just remember if this goes all so horribly wrong, I am so, so sorry... but I will do all I can to save everyone" And in that moment, promising the impossible just like her father, she glanced at him seeing that he had heard her do this. "And I mean it, no lies, no impossible promises… because for once... I have a plan…"

Sparks flew over Ella, the Doctor scrambling to her side and practically shouting at her. "A plan?! What plan, what are you even doing damn it?!" Ella refused to answer though as she concentrated on handling the TARDIS, forcing it to hold steady within the vortex. Her eyes trailed up to the Doctor's for a second, "Do you not ever shut up?!" Before her father could reply, Ella was dancing over broken glass with her bare feet, avoiding loose wires and other odds and ends, trying to miss being burnt by sparks. Once back to her father's side once more, Ella stared up at him and spoke through gritted teeth, "Like I said Doctor, I didn't waste my fifty years, I used them well." Her hand slammed down atop of a button, a scowl on her face as she passed her father. "How long until landing boys?!"

"Seconds Ma'am so I suggest you hold on!"

Ella glanced at her father, "Like I said, I would rip the world apart for you but I found a slight loophole. The TARDIS left a small imprint on earth in this time stream making it safe enough to land there without ripping apart New York." With another lever being pulled down, Ella turned away from her father, "Like I said… love a loophole."  
He was wide eyed and practically stunned into oblivion by his daughter. He rushed to the scanner that was now out of Ella's reach and began to read the readings upon it. "...that is almost impossible! Wha- how?!" He glued his eyes to the screen as he jerked back and forth, a hand grasping the console for dear life.

"...One little imprint. Huh, the box can only do this once. You try sending it back to that time anymore after this...but it worked! Blimey, I don't know what you did, but it's actually working!" Oh how excited he was, how amazed and scared and all round amazed by this situation as he flew backwards as Ella hit the last switch a half grin on her lips, landing the box with precision. "Of course it worked you fool," Ella winked at the Doctor as she pulled her sonic from behind her ear. "Boys… make sure she'll stay tethered to her spot, can't have her stranded can we?" An instant reply came through the intercom, crackling like mad as Ella held her hand out to her father, "Shall we then Doctor?"

He stared at her, wanting to laugh at her actions but said nothing of it. He was a little pissed that he hadn't thought of it himself, oh look, there was his huge ego once more! He ignored his daughter's hand and furrowed his brow. "Let's get your silly show over with. No way had you managed this." Ella rolled her eyes and replied in a rather sarcastic voice, "Well at least put a freaking smile on your face!" Ella stormed off towards the doors and flung them open, wishing her father would be grateful of what the girl had done for him. All he could do was huff and walk on after her.

As the doors swung open, she was met by a Sontaran and a human looking man. The Doctor was a tad surprised that they were about but he shook away the thought as he stepped out into the snow laden street behind Ella. "My boys!" She grasped them tightly in a rather manly hug. "Where's the Silurian and her wife?" Ella grinned at them, letting go of the pair and stepping back. "She was working from home ma'am… you know how she gets." The Sontaran held a rather stony expression but all the same a small smile managed to creep on his face. "Ah I see, well you mentioned Pond was here, where is she?!" Ella was far too excited for this as the human lad gestured to the girl over on the steps.

At the mention of Amy, the Doctor's gaze wandered over to the girl upon the steps, her soft ginger hair falling at her shoulder and that mischievous gaze peering back at him. "Pond…" He murmured, tears stinging his eyes as he took a step closer because in all honesty he never thought he'd see the girl again. A grin cracked across his lips once more. Ella was already at Amy's side, offering a hand to the girl before tugging her to her feet and wrapping her arms around Amy. "Hey grandma," Amy held Ella closely, eyes flicking up at her raggedy man. "When you said you were going to return, I thought you were as mad as your father," Ella laughed at this comment because she knew that a matter of fact that it was true. "And do I pass with flying colours?" The girls stepped back from each other, both grinning. "Yes you did," Amy replied, "Yes… so much so." 

The Doctor stood there in awe, so numb but yet so happy. It was like trying to contain so much excitement and he knew that he was already failing but hey… he didn't care. Amy stood before him, "Hey raggedy man." It was music to his ears, hearing those words once more. The Doctor was still for a moment, staring at before rushing at her and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I never thought I'd see you again." Amy laughed, nearly being slammed to the floor by the Doctor and instantly hugged him back but there was something she needed to say to him.

Amy let go of him and hit him in the arm. "You're an idiot for sending her away!" She gestured to Ella who was standing there, an innocent smile on her face, "You have an amazing daughter there." The Doctor flinched at the hit and rubbed his arm a little but still smiled at Amy. "I know! I know, she really is amazing and I'm…" He spun to face Ella, "I'm sorry kid. You're everything to me, you really are and I should have listened to my mad daughter in the first place." He grabbed Ella and planted a kiss right on her forehead before letting go and placing an arm around his daughter and glanced up at Amy. "So… erm, how are you?"

Amy was rather amused at her raggedy man, "Well I was doing perfectly fine until she dropped out of the sky and onto my car…" She nodded to Ella who in return blushed a little. "… then suddenly she is talking about a Doctor and that it's her father then BAM… you're here too… Just like the good old day's right?" Of Course Amy was still not impressed with the Doctor's attitude and he could see that. "I guess it is," He chuckled softly, a smile on his lips. "I think we should get some tea," Amy finally asked as she glanced between the pair of them.

Ella nodded enthusiastically where as the Doctor grinned, "I'd be delighted to but first I have to get something first." He grinned, running back into the TARDIS and rushing back to one of the rooms. He laughed to himself as he rummaged through an old box, pulling out something that he hadn't worn in a long, long time. He wrapped it around his neck and tied it perfectly before rushing out "...wouldn't be cool without my bowtie now would, I?" He beamed as he looked between the two and straightened his bow. Possibly the best Christmas present ever.


End file.
